Photo Albums

Noteworthy Photography

Burning Flags PressThe website of Glen E. Friedman. Renowned for both his work with musicians like Fugazi, Minor Threat, Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys, Slayer (and many, many more) as well as his groundbreaking documentation of the burgeoning skateboard phenomenon in the late `70's, Glen has been privvy to (and has summarily captured on film) some of the coolest stuff ever. He's also an incredibly insightful and nice guy to boot.

SoHo Blues - Photography by Allan TannenbaumAllan Tannenbaum is a local photographer who has been everywhere and shot everything, from members of Blondie hanging out at the Mudd Club through the collapsing towers of the World Trade Center on September 11th. You could spend hours on this site, and I have.

Robert Otter PhotographsAmazing vintage photographs of New York City, specifically my own neighborhood, Greenwich Village.

Big Laughs

The Weblog of Spumco's John K.The weblog of cartoonist John Kricfalusi, crazed mind and frantic pencil behind the original "Ren & Stimpy," as well as "The Goddamn George Liquor Show." Surreal, unapologetic, uncompromising genius.

August 02, 2018

My friend Yana (immortalized here) first spotted this on Dangerous Minds and shared it on Facebook, where I saw it, prompting me to want to share it here. Then EV Grieve spotted it and shared it on his Facebook page. By this point, then, it might be fair to surmise that anyone that might be interested has seen it, but whatever …. I’m putting it here, too.

Check out the Dangerous Minds original post for more, but here is the inimitable Iggy Pop in 1988 being interviewed for French television in New York City. Any Iggy interview footage is always going to be entertaining, but what made this eligible for placement here is the footage of the great man galavanting around Union Square. I can’t say I can name the bar/restaurant he’s depicted being interviewed in. Can you?

A little while after this, Ig would largely abandon this comparatively “clean-cut” look, and go back to a more conventional RAWK aesthetic for the Instinct album, albeit to no great effect.

June 11, 2018

Les Halles on Park Avenue South, where Anthony Bourdain famously worked as a chef, has been closed since 2016, and the space it once occupied has been dormant since shuttering in March of that year.

Since news broke on Friday of Bourdain's passing, mourners have been leaving flowers, notes and mementos in a makeshift memorial. My kids' school is a couple of blocks away. After dropping them off this morning, I looped back around to the former Les Halles to take a look.

June 06, 2018

December 29, 2017

Well, yeah, here we are at the ass-end of 2017. That means it’s time to revisit that survey.

What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?Travel to Ireland.

Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?Honestly, I don’t believe I made any beyond that age-old intention to scale back on the beer-imbibing, which –- of course -– I didn’t do. With that in mind, that remains the resolution. I have a colleague, meanwhile, who has an interesting one. Instead of interpreting the concept of a resolution as some sort of disciplining penance, she is envisioning hers as a horizon-broadening exercise. Someone gave her a coffee-table book about iconic albums from an array of different genres, and her resolution is to sit down and listen/experience/digest one or two a month, thus enriching her knowledge and listening habits. I think that’s pretty cool.

Did anyone close to you give birth?No one in my immediate circle, but I’ve certainly had a few friends who’ve had babies.

Did anyone close to you die?Sadly, yes. We lost my dear Uncle Carly in March of this year. He was a tirelessly funny, big-hearted gent, and I will always miss him.

What countries did you visit?As cited above, I visited Ireland for the first time back in November, which was genuinely life-changing.

What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?A different president.

What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory?January 21, wherein a vast multitude of New Yorkers flooded the streets to voice their displeasure with the results of the election.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?Around the middle of the summer, I’d been tasked with putting together a video presentation for a company-wide town hall meeting at my organization’s headquarters in Nashville. It proved to be an arduous slog rife with numerous, heated clashes between myself and the head of my department. The stress was almost overwhelming, but I managed to get it where it needed to be at the proverbial eleventh hour. When it was shown at the meeting, the attendees literally stood up and cheered. Mission accomplished. That was a feat I didn’t expect to pull off.

What was your biggest failure?As my children continue to flourish towards young adulthood, my wife and I have yet to determine where we’ll be living next. As such, while it’s all they’ve ever known, they continue to reside together in the same small room. I’d hoped we’d have at least been on the road to remedying that by this point, but other priorities took precedence. I’m also disappointed by the book project that lost its foundation.

Did you suffer illness or injury?::Knocks wood:: No, I had a fairly stable and relatively healthy twelve months. I have the same minor quirks and complaints, but never contracted any illnesses nor sustained any major injuries. Maybe a toothache or two. This all said, I haven’t seen my primary care physician since I don’t know when. Since I recently turned 50, I have an appointment with a brand new one in two weeks, and he’ll doubtlessly scold me about any number of irresponsible life choices and prescribe a frightening battery of invasive tests. So, yeah, …. really looking forward to that.

What was the best thing you bought?I bought a sweater --- as one does -– in Ireland that I’m getting a robust amount of use out of.

Whose behavior merited celebration?On a personal level, I’ll nominate my kids for their tireless good cheer and scrupulous hard work at school. On the grander scale, I raise a toast to those speaking truth to power.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?Anyone who fails to recognize the embarrassing and horrific downward trajectory this country is taking under the Trump administration. That, and the disarming cavalcade of public figures from all strata of society and sensibility who evidently cannot keep it in their pants.

What did you get really, really excited about?In a negative way? The politics of the day. In a positive way? Ummm…..

Where did most of your money go?The ludicrously ill-advised endeavor of raising children in New York City.

What song will always remind you of 2017? Not because I like it (although I’ve certainly heard worse), but “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi. Not only because of its maddening ubiquity, but because we used a bit of it in that video presentation I alluded to earlier. I’ll forever equate it with stressing out about that project.

Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?While I’m horrified and depressed by things happening on the world stage on pretty much a daily -– if not hourly -– basis, I mentally remain in a good place. The wife and I are both employed at jobs we are enthusiastic about and engaged by, and our kids are both happy and healthy. We’re alright.

Thinner or fatter?In the wake of the holiday season, I am certainly fatter.

Richer or poorer?“Flush” would not be the best adjective to describe our situation, but we’ll be alright.

What do you wish you'd done more of? Reading books (i.e. not screens).

What do you wish you'd done less of?Engaging in pointless political arguments. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and energy.

How did you spend Christmas?Bouncing around Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Pennsylvania visiting various pockets of family, all the while telling my kids to “stop coughing, dammit!” (both were nursing colds at the time). Fun.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?Not a single clue. Probably the wife.

Did you fall in love in 2017?Already there.

How many one night stands in this last year? None. Happily married for sixteen years.

What was your favorite TV program?“Twin Peaks: The Return”

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? The only person I believe I genuinely hate is Donald Trump. I hated him last year, too, but that’s only intensified in the last twelve months.

What was the best book you read?As alluded above, I didn’t get the opportunity to read nearly as much as I’d have preferred, this year, but my favorite book was without a doubt “Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul” by my comrade Jeremiah Moss.

What was your greatest musical discovery?It legitimately upsets me to say this, but I can’t say that I heard anything genuinely new this year that impressed me. I mean, I heard some new stuff that I liked, but nothing that really blew a new part in my hair, or anything. I mean, I liked the new Ride record, but I was a big fan of theirs back in the early 90’s. I also enjoyed Dead Cross, the new hardcore ensemble featuring Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo, but again – those are old dudes, too. I can’t point to any single new artist I really dug. I spent most of 2017 listening to the music I already know and love. Here’s hoping 2018 will have something more musically interesting in store (or for me, anyway).

ADDENDUM:Also quite enjoyed this one.

What did you want and get? In terms of material possessions, I’m pretty much at a stage in my life where I don’t need any more stuff in my home. If anything, I should be getting rid of things. Beyond that, most of the stuff I actually like is in pretty short supply. I mean, I have my eye on a new pair of shoes and shit like that, but that’s ultimately just a question of maintenance. That all said, I did get the ludicrous 40th anniversary box set of Queen’s News of the World for Christmas. I asked for it, and I got it. Did I need it? No. Is it cool? Yes. So yeah, that.

What did you want and not get?For the Trump Administration to be brought to its knees, for Donald to be impeached and for him and his acolytes to be frog-marched out of the White House in cuffs. We’ll see what transpires in 2018.

What were your favorite films of this year?I quite enjoyed “Blade Runner 2049,” “Thor Ragnarok” and, sure, “The Last Jedi,” although my enthusiasm for all things “Star Wars” is taking another sharp dip.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?My wife threw a small dinner party for me, as I crossed the perilous rubicon of 50.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?See the answer above to “What do you want and not get?”

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?Basically, still “Am I Too Old to Get Away with This?”

What kept you sane?My lovely wife and kids.

What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?I don’t do a lot of “fancying” at this point, but I thought deposed Attorney General Sally Yates was pretty badass.

What political issue stirred you the most? Jesus …. pick one.

Who did you miss?Beyond my Uncle Carly, I was greatly saddened by the premature losses of Chris Cornell, Grant Hart, Malcolm Young and Pat DiNizio. And I continue to really miss Lemmy and, especially, Bowie.

Who was the best new person you met?A couple of great new colleagues at the job.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017H.L. Mencken was right. No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

Song lyric that sums up 2017Not a new song, but from Gang of Four’s 1981 single, “To Hell with Poverty,” …

September 30, 2017

It’s sadly over now, and I wasn’t originally going to post anything more about it (than I already did), as I know that not everybody was as into it as I was. But while I've been lamenting the end of “Twin Peaks: The Return,” I stumbled upon one of those inevitable “mash-up” tributes that is actually amazingly well done … so much so that it’s almost uncanny.

If you’re not a fan of the show, it’s not going to make much sense to you, but otherwise…. enjoy.

August 08, 2017

A fun little walk down memory lane, courtesy of David Letterman circa 1982.

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, neither of the businesses in question still exist these 35 years later -- or at least not at these same locations. The space that was Just Bulbs is now a furniture place, and the shop that was Just Shades is now a bespoke blue-jeans restorer called Nudie Jeans.

In any case, in the wake of his death, a Tumblr page called Age of Warholposted the photo below of O’Brien -– wearing a fetching pair of New Balance running shoes -- sitting with Warhol in front of a window. Sadly, the photo came without a credit, nor a year, but being that Warhol’s been gone for just over 20 years (!!!) now, I’m assuming this was taken at some point in the mid `80s.

Looking out the window, it’s pretty immediately evident that the vista in question is of Union Square looking south. Doing the math, while I immediately thought that this might be the building that houses the Barnes & Noble flagship store today, it was more than likely two buildings to the west, that being 860 Broadway, which housed the final incarnation, I believe, of Warhol’s fabled Factory.

Today, 860 Broadway is the building with the PetCo in its ground floor. I have no idea what goes on in the space that used to be that iteration of Warhol’s Factory, but suffice to say, one can’t just walk into it. As such, replicating this shot of Glenn and Andy with my kids in homage was right out of the question. The best I can do in that capacity is this. One of those windows is the one they’re depicted sitting at.

There is another notable thing about 860 Broadway, though. In an odd coincidence with Monday's post about Kraut, I put up an entry with a video a while back of Kraut allegedly playing in a New Jersey venue called Spit. The video in question was shot for a short-lived cable access show called “New York Dance Stand,” doubtlessly inspired by O’Brien’s “TV Party.” I fleetingly posted about that show here. One of the commenters on the original video, meanwhile, asserted that the Kraut peformance captured was not filmed in New Jersey at all, but rather at a venue on 17th Street “across from Union Square” called The Underground, specifically “in the downstairs of what is now a PetCo.”

Now, while I can’t say I ever went into Warhol’s Factory in 860 B’way, I can say I’ve been in the space that allegedly played host to Kraut … albeit not as The Underground, but rather as the fish/aquarium section of PetCo in 2011, when I was very begrudgingly coerced into purchasing a pair of strenuously ill-fated goldfish for my kids. You can read the beginning of that sorry, soggy saga here, although the post does not address their icky, untimely demise that happened a couple of disgusting months later.

March 16, 2017

Spend any time reading this blog, and you’ll doubtlessly recognize a posting pattern. Quite often, I’ll build entries around random videos that I’ve come across, usually topically flush with what has become the theme of this blog (NYC nostalgia of various stripes). It’s not that I’m always feverishly searching out appropriate videos, but when I encounter them, I usually set them to one side with the plan of expounding on them at a later date.

Sometimes, however, I’ll set them aside and then basically forget about them or forget what rumination I might have had in mind when I first spotted them.

In keeping with the same theme of the previous post (that being the impetus not to waste anything), here is a clutch of videos prized off the Web that all fit snuggily within the purview of Flaming Pablum, so to speak. While I’d initially intended on devoting an individual post to each of these clips, their respective moments have all passed, for whatever reason. Not wanting chuck them back into the deep like hooked fish too small to take home and cook, I’m rounding them all up here for your viewing pleasure. Go get yourself some popcorn, then, and settle in.

First up is a curious clip called “Natural Born in Manhattan.” As far as I can glean, it’s basically just nine minutes of cinematic moments of Manhattan, as scored by some cool jazz. See if you can name all the films and give yourself a prize. Some are obvious. Some not so much.

Next up is basically a photo-slideshow called “Lower East Side, Alphabet City … 1980s” True to its title, the video depicts just that, all courtesy of the lens of one Philip Pocock. Pocock occasionally posts on a few Facebook groups I’m in, and his work is indeed striking. Here’s a fun game while you watch this 18-minute clip -– how many invocations of Missing Foundation can you spot?

Our third video is “The Gift, featuring Freddie Katz.” Culled from a YouTube channel called “New York, New York Rock TV, 1990 – 2000,” this clip was shot at some point in the very early 90’s, and features a gentleman named Freddie Katz giving a tour of some of his favorite spots downtown, notably the Scrap Bar (which I spoke about here), Gem Spa on St. Marks, The Hat (or El Sombrero) on Ludlow Street and a few other likely locales. Katz was fronting an ensemble called The Gift at the time, who I want to say I may have seen perform at either the Limelight or the Cat Club at one point. In any case, The Gift no longer walks this earth as a single unit, but Katz himself is still in the music biz. Check out his own page here, if you’re curious. For whatever reason, this video’s embedding functionality was “disabled by request,” so you’ll have to click here to watch it. Enjoy and come on back afterwards.

This next video comes from the Kino Library and is titled “Rare 1980s New York Footage of Danceteria Club, Daytime.” I want to say this was shot by the great Nelson Sullivan (who I spoke of here), but cannot be sure. In any case, I’ve written extensively about Danceteria here a few times (notably here and here), so check those out of if you’re curious, but enjoy this trip back inside. This ground floor is a Starbucks today, if I’m not mistaken.

Honestly, I’m really at a loss as to how to describe this last clip, “Sunrise on ABC City,” so I’ll just let you press play and work it out.